As a new homeowner, you've got lots to do like fixing it up and making the place your own. Whether you have an hour or all weekend, you can start and finish at least one of these easy home improvement projects without hiring a contractor and taking out renovation loans:

Set Up a Home Recycling Center

Recycling at home can be as easy as organizing recyclable materials in their own containers. Set up bins to collect plastic, glass, steel cans, aluminum and paper/cardboard. Place labels on buckets, boxes or crates. These make excellent containers and are easy to carry when they get full.

Build a Compost Bin

Using a compost bin gets rid of kitchen waste and turns it into a usable fertilizer that is beneficial for gardens, flower beds and house plants. A recycled washing machine tub makes an excellent composter. With the hole at the top just the right size for stirring, the holes along the sides are good for airflow.

Upgrade to Save

Making your home more energy efficient doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive. If your current appliances aren't due for replacement, make the switch with something more simple. Swap out old blinds for energy-efficient roman shades or change light bulbs to CFLs. Compact fluorescent lamps use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, according to EnergyStar.com.

General Home Repairs

Fixing leaky faucets, broken fixtures or squeaky doors is part of owning a home. Unscrew the faucet ring and place teflon tape on the threads. This will allow for a tighter seal and prevent leaks and drips. Oiling a squeaky door hinge or tightening a faucet valve are small things that can be repaired without the aid of a hired hand. WD-40 has become known as a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to home fix ups. It can remove crayon marks from walls and eliminate squeaks and noises from almost any type of fixture or hinge. 

Source: amerifirst.com

As Massachusetts reopens under a 4-Phase plan, activities & experiences around Boston are slowly returning under what is being dubbed the “new normal.” Everyday things to do that were once taken for granted—e.g. kayaking, patio dining, farmers markets—are now Boston’s biggest attractions. For a list of what can open in Massachusetts and when, see this link. In the meantime, here are 10 mostly-outdoor activities you can do in Boston right now…

1) Dine outside

After almost three months under a stay-at-home advisory, Massachusetts restaurants can offer sit-down service again (outdoors only for now). See this link for a running list of rooftops & patios that are NOW OPEN in the Boston area. Boston's first beer garden under the new normal, Harpoon, is now open in the Seaport. And parts of Hanover Street in the North End are being turned into a "cafe zone" for al fresco dining. In Waltham, Moody Street is closed to all vehicular traffic as restaurants begin to serve their customers with outdoor dining.

2) Hit up a farmers market

Farmers markets are back for 2020 -- here is a running list on what's open and where. This year, open-air markets are reopening with new guidelines in place to protect shoppers & vendors from the spread of COVID-19. Booths will be more spaced out, hand sanitizing stations will be available, social distancing will be enforced, and masks will be required.

3) Go to a local beach

You don’t have to venture too far outside of Boston to have a beach day. After all, Boston is a port city. Here are 7 beaches within a 10-mile radius of Downtown Boston:

• M & L Street Beaches (2.6 miles from DWTN Boston)
• Pleasure Bay Beach (2.9 miles from DWTN Boston)
• Carson Beach (3.3 miles from DWTN Boston)
• Constitution Beach (5.7 miles from DWTN Boston)
• Wollaston Beach (7.9 miles from DWTN Boston)
• Revere Beach (8.5 miles from DWTN Boston) *
• Yirrell Beach (9.6 miles from DWTN Boston)

4) Go shopping

Under phase 2 of Massachusetts' reopening plan, retail stores are now allowed to operate at 25% capacity. Read Boston Magazine's recent shopping experience to know what to expect.

5) Catch a movie at a drive-in theater

With restrictions lifted on drive-in movie theaters, The Mendon Twin Drive-In and Showcase Pop-Up Drive-In at Patriot Place are now open. Marshfield Fair drive-in will be hosting a weekend drive-in movie theater beginning with Father’s Day weekend. BYOM (bring your own mask) in case you have to open your window or exit your vehicle for restroom breaks. Also, Saugus' famous Kowloon restaurant is rumored to be converting their parking into a drive-in movie theater soon.

6) Go kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding on the Charles River

Kayaking on the Charles is back...at least at Community Boating Inc. on the Esplanade. Masks must be worn at the dock at all times. 2-hour kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals must be booked in advance. All kayaks, paddles, and life jackets are sanitized between customers.

7) Go for a bike ride, walk, or run

Now is as good of a time than ever to explore Boston’s epic Emerald Necklace -- a 1,100-acre chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways connecting Boston Common, Public Garden, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, The Fens, Forsyth Park, The Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, Jamaicaway, Arborway, Arnold Arboretum, and Franklin Park. Fun fact: The linear system of parks was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in NYC.

Beyond that, the Boston area is home to literally hundreds of beautiful parks where you can go for a walk, run, or bike ride. Pictured above is North Bank Bridge, which connects Cambridge’s North Point Park with Paul Revere Park in nearby Charlestown.

8) Picnic in the park and/or check out some street art

Parks are open per Massachusetts' reopening plan. Support local restaurants by ordering takeout and enjoying it at a neighborhood park. Just stay six feet apart from other parties that are not within your household.

While you're out, take in some of Boston's best works of public art -- see WBUR's "The 50 Best Works Of Public Art In Greater Boston, Ranked" article from 2016 to get started.

Stay safe & stay healthy.

Source: thebostoncalendar.com

As the country begins to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and employees start heading back into an office setting, employers need to have plans in place to ensure their employees can return safely. While the crisis has made some companies adopt more robust work-from-home policies, such as the big tech giants, office spaces are rapidly evolving for the post-coronavirus era.

In fact, as companies adapt to the new normal, the modern workplace environment may see some permanent changes. As your business plans to reopen the office, these creative office space and furniture ideas will help keep your workers safe.

Rearrange existing office furniture

Right now, the top priority for businesses is to return their employees to the office as quickly and safely as possible. In this first wave of reopening (up to 50% of employees in an office at one time), companies should focus on retrofitting the workplace to align with current health guidelines.

The most immediate way to do this is to rearrange existing office furniture to ensure they comply with social distancing protocols. If possible, employees’ desks should be spaced six feet apart from each other, while other furniture can be rearranged or even removed to add more space. Social distancing can be enforced further with visual design cues to enforce the six-feet rule, as commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield has implemented. One-way traffic may also be enforced to keep employees from making unnecessary contact. Surfaces should also be cleaned more frequently, especially within common areas or with shared items.

Install temporary plexiglass barriers

Many businesses, such as restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores, have already installed temporary plexiglass shields and barriers to stem the spread of the coronavirus. These same barriers can be used in an office environment in areas with high foot traffic and in-person interactions. Temporary plexiglass shields can be placed in conference rooms, on employee desks or in hallways to separate people and maintain social distancing guidelines.

Repurpose communal spaces

For many businesses, large, communal spaces are going unused to comply with social distancing guidelines. These spaces include larger conference rooms, cafeterias and employee lounges. Rather than avoiding these rooms altogether, businesses can repurpose the rooms as temporary workspaces so employees can spread out.

Furthermore, if your company has space outside, you can move employees outdoors with weather permitting.

Open windows instead of turning on the air conditioner

Opening windows is the optimal way to climate-control the office while preventing the spread of coronavirus. Central air conditioners and heaters recirculate the air, which can transmit viral particles from one space to another. In contrast, opening the windows in your office will allow air to flow freely, preventing the virus from circulating through communal spaces.

While not possible for every office building, if you can, open windows around your office to climate control. If your office building does not allow you to open windows, avoid standing near the A/C exhaust, where particles are often trapped.

Purchase additional hand sanitizers

Hand washing is a simple yet effective way to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. As people return to the office, employers should consider purchasing hand sanitizer stations that are placed around common areas, such as break rooms, reception areas, entrances, conference rooms and restrooms to promote good hygiene.

If your office already has hand sanitizing stations in common areas, consider adding personal stations to employee desks. Alternatively, you can supply each worker with their own personal sanitizer each week, along with guidelines for office hand hygiene.

Enforce office capacity policies

Of course, creating distance between employees becomes easier when fewer people are in the building. Many companies are implementing a phased approach to returning people back to the office, such as staggering schedules and encouraging a mixture of remote and on-site work. Communal activities, such as buffet breakfasts and office-wide meetings, should be put on hold or modified to comply with safety regulations.

Install plastic partitions

Although temporary plastic barriers are popping up all over the countries, permanent plexiglass partitions may become the new office norm. Translucent partitions can be a useful tool to keep employees safe, while still being able to communicate freely and maintain some level of connection. This is especially useful in areas where social distancing is not feasible. Plexiglass or glass partitions may be placed in hallways or even inside elevators to minimize the risk of spreading contaminated particles. If you decide to install permanent partitions in your office, look for partitions that are made of antimicrobial materials, which self-sterilize upon contact.

While cubicles seem to be returning to popularity because of COVID-19, architects, building owners, and entrepreneurs may remove one wall in conference rooms to help promote a healthy workplace.

Reconsider cubicles

Over the past couple of decades, cubicles fell out of favor in the modern workplace and were, in many companies, replaced with open-office designs. However, the coronavirus pandemic has made people value private, personal spaces.

To help foster the feeling of an open office workplace while providing a private space for individual employees, plexiglass cubicles may replace the open office concept. While temporary plexiglass partitions are being installed all over the country, the coronavirus may be the reason why cubicles return to the office.

Turn conference rooms into ‘officles’

While cubicles seem to be returning to popularity because of COVID-19, architects, building owners, and entrepreneurs may remove one wall in conference rooms to help promote a healthy workplace. These spaces are known as “officles” because they are a cross between an office and a cubicle. Because these newly renovated spaces only have three walls, air can flow freely throughout the space and potentially prevent germs from gathering in one location.

Create conference spaces rather than rooms

While officles are one way to use transition conference spaces to the new norm, open corners of an office space can be used as a permanent, or makeshift, replacement of a closed conference room. Similar to officles, corner conference rooms promote airflow and can allow employees to spread out from one another.

Rethink the reception area

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, most open offices offered a reception area where customers, clients or other visitors were typically greeted by an employee, then encouraged to sit or grab a cup of coffee while they waited. While this approach certainly made customers feel more comfortable and welcome, reception areas post-COVID could see a major overhaul in the next few months.

Some companies are reimagining the reception area as a decontamination lounge. New procedures, such as taking temperatures at the door, placing hand washing stations in waiting rooms, or even instructing people to take off their shoes, may become commonplace. Meanwhile, amenities that pose a higher risk of spreading germs like self-serve coffee will likely go by the wayside to reduce the risk of transmission. In its place, you may see a sink or hand-washing station that you must use before entering the office.

Update air filtration and ventilation

Coronavirus is thought to spread primarily through droplets spread when we talk, cough and breathe. While many of these droplets fall to the ground and dissipate quickly, smaller particles may linger in the air. Improving air filtration and ventilation is one way to mitigate against these tiny, potentially viral particles.

Many large businesses are poised to upgrade their HVAC systems in the near future to improve airflow and filter out contaminants.

If you don’t have the budget to replace your HVAC, portable air purifiers can be placed around the office for a fraction of the cost. This is especially useful if office windows can’t be opened to air out the space.

Source: USChamber.com

As Massachusetts begins to lift stay-at-home orders, here's what your business needs to know about safely resuming operations.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many states have relaxed their stay-at-home orders and begun to reopen non-essential businesses. For business owners, this means navigating a new world of social distancing, face coverings and decreased in-store capacity as consumers slowly start to resume their "normal" lives.

For many businesses, the key to getting back to business will be prioritizing the health and safety of both employees and customers in a clear, demonstrable way. You and your staff will need to strictly adhere to and enforce any new health guidelines put in place by your state and/or municipality, and effectively communicate those protocols to your patrons.

If your business is preparing to reopen its doors, here's what you need to know about safely resuming operations while building trust and confidence among your customer base.

Prepare your workplace for the transition

Social distancing guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) require at least six feet of space between individuals whenever possible. This may mean installing physical barriers in your store or office, changing your layout to create more space between workstations, closing communal spaces and staggering shifts and breaks to minimize any unnecessary interactions.

Create an employee wellness plan to monitor health

Local, state and federal guidelines for specific industries are changing daily as COVID-19 evolves.

Public health organizations have recommended businesses that are able to operate remotely (fully or partially) continue to do so to mitigate the spread of the virus. In fact, many large corporations have extended their work-from-home orders to October 2020 for all employees whose jobs can be done remotely. However, if your employees will soon be reconvening in the workplace, include the following items in your wellness plan:

• Personal protective equipment (PPE) or face coverings for employees. Proper PPE has been an important part of protecting essential healthcare workers and limiting the spread of the virus throughout the pandemic. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does require certain industries to use standardized PPE like N95 masks, but if yours is not one of them, you may wish to provide cloth face coverings, masks and/or gloves for your employees to wear in the workplace.
• Temperature checks to enter a workplace. According to Stone, temperature checks are already a requirement for some essential workers and are expected to be a requirement for reopening many types of businesses. If you decide or are required to implement temperature checks, Stone says to designate one person as the recorder, such as a manager.
• Daily wellness checks. Self-reported "symptom surveys" that are completed by employees before entering the workplace are likely here to stay, too, said Stone.
• Employer-led COVID testing for workers. Stone believes the onus may soon be on employers to have a record of employee COVID-19 status or vaccination. As scientific and medical research on COVID immunity evolves, this may become part of the employer testing process as well.

Implement safety measures for handling physical items

Non-essential retail stores are opening up across the country, even if some states only allow for curbside pickup for now. Retailers should take a cue from the restaurant industry, which implemented certain health and safety protocols for customer pickup orders at the start of the pandemic. This is not only a good, practical public health strategy, but it may help customers feel more confident about shopping with you.

Most businesses aren't expecting things to go 'back to normal' right away and realize it will take time for public fear to fade.

Here are a few things you can do to minimize person-to-person contact if your business sells physical items to customers:

• Limit payment options to cashless methods. Cash touches lots of hands and requires close contact, so you may wish to require cashless payment options like online payments or credit/debit card only. Stoga reminded retailers that this option does have equity issues, as some consumers may not have access to credit or debit cards.
• Set up a 'pickup rack' at the store entrance. Clients can stay in their cars and receive a text when their items are ready to go and placed on the rack.
• Place safety seals on bags. Just as restaurants did, consider using bags with safety seals when packaging your customers' orders. Stoga noted that this tends to allay the fears of anxious patrons.

Communicate your plans clearly to employees and customers

Once you have your health and safety plans in place for your reopening, you need a clear communication strategy to ensure your staff and customers understand their role in mitigating COVID-related risks.

Communication is critical. With so much uncertainty in the news and employees asking questions, we have been communicating even more. Holding short huddles everyday with our teams to share anything new has really helped.

When you tell your customers about your reopening plans, be ready with a unified message across all your channels, and reiterate that message in-store and through regular transactional touchpoints. Most importantly, be prepared to provide updates, take feedback to heart and adapt your operations accordingly.

uschamber.com

POP QUIZ: What has been the most popular—and therefore least secure—password every year since 2013? If you answered “password,” you’d be close. “Qwerty” is another contender for the dubious distinction, but the champion is the most basic, obvious password imaginable: “123456.”

Yes, people still use “123456,” according to SplashData’s ranking of the most common passwords of 2019, which the security application company bases on its analysis of millions of passwords leaked on the internet.

“Disappointingly, there are no big differences between recent worst password lists and this year’s,” says Morgan Slain, SplashData’s CEO. That’s because consumers continue to stick with passwords that are simple and easy to remember—and therefore are far too easily hacked, he says.

Here are the 10 most popular, least secure passwords of 2019, per SplashData:

1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. qwerty
4. password
5. 1234567
6. 12345678
7. 12345
8. llllll
9. 123123

How to improve your own passwords:

1. Use a password manager app.

If you do, you’ll have only two passwords to remember: the password to the app and the password to the computer account you log into every day. (For work-owned devices, ask your employer’s IT team what they recommend.)

2. Use multifactor authentication (MFA) whenever possible.

MFA factors include what you know (a password), what you have (a device, such as a smartphone), and who you are (a fingerprint or facial recognition scan). Using MFA for verification, such as a code sent to a mobile device, in addition to strong, unique passwords, can give you better protection.

3. Don’t create passwords with real words.

In a so-called dictionary attack, a hacker uses software that systematically enters every word in a dictionary to figure out a password. To thwart such attacks, skip any words you’d find in Webster’s.

4. Don’t include personal details in your password.

Avoid using the name of a spouse, kid, pet, city of residence, birthplace or the like in a password, as a hacker could deduce that information from your social media accounts.

5. Use passwords that include all character types.

Go for a mix of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

Source: Security Smart Newsletter

Many Expiring Licenses, Registrations, and Other Credentials Further Extended

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) has implemented further extensions to the renewal timelines for expiring motor vehicle inspection stickers, passenger plate registrations, professional credentials, and driver's licenses and learner's permits, including Commercial Driver’s Licenses and Commercial Permits (CDLs / CLPs).

While the RMV previously announced extensions for most credentials, passenger plate registrations, and inspection stickers expired or expiring in March, April, and May, an additional extension has been applied to those credentials, and an extension has been added to some credentials expiring in June, July, and August.

These extensions replicate the ongoing measures the RMV has taken to reduce the need for customers to physically visit an RMV Service Center or one of its business partners’ facilities, allowing for "social-distancing" by decreasing non-essential travel and customer volume. Additional longer-term extensions will also allow the RMV to ensure "social-distancing" guidelines are met as demand for in-person service and renewals resumes during the Commonwealth’s reopening phases.

The following new changes to expiration extensions are now effective:

• Driver’s licenses and ID cards, including Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs), that expired or will expire in March, April, and May 2020, will now expire in September 2020 and do not need to be renewed at this time.
• Driver’s licenses and ID cards that will expire in June have been extended until October 2020; those that will expire in July have been extended until November 2020; and those that will expire in August have been extended until December 2020 and do not need to be renewed at this time.
  • The specific expiration date typically coincides with an individual’s birth date. Customers holding an RMV credential marked “Limited-Term” that has expired or will expire between March 1 and August 31, 2020 should visit Mass.Gov/RMV for more information and to check the validity of their credential.
• The RMV also recently introduced an online renewal option for CDL holders if they are self-certified in the Non-Excepted Interstate (NI) category for medical certification.
• Learner’s permits, including Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLPs), that expired or will expire in March, April, and May 2020, will now expire in December 2020. Learner’s permits that will expire in June, July, and August will also be extended until December 2020. This extension will allow additional time for permit students and driving schools to complete in-car instruction and a road test when those functions are authorized to restart safely.
  • Road tests for CDLs are still being conducted during the state of emergency. Massachusetts State Police manage CDL road tests, and require anyone taking a CDL road test to bring and wear a face covering for the entirety of the road test.
• In accordance with updated guidance from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), all CDL Medical Certificates expiring between March 1 and May 31, 2020, have previously been extended until June 30, 2020 and no additional extension will be applied. However, all CDL Medical Certificates expiring between June 1 and August 31 have been extended until September 30, 2020 and do not need to be renewed at this time. Extensions to CDL Medical Certificates are intended to prevent license downgrades and elective medical visits, as well as alleviate demand on medical providers, during the State of Emergency.
• The annual motor vehicle safety and emissions inspection stickers that have expired or will expire in March, April, and May 2020 have been extended until July 31, 2020. No additional extensions will be applied and inspection stations are open at their discretion within the public health guidelines to perform this work.
• All passenger plate registrations that have expired or will expire in March, April, and May 2020 have been extended until July 31, 2020. The RMV has also applied a 30-day extension to registrations that expire in June, which will now expire on July 31, 2020. Registration renewals can continue to be performed online at Mass.Gov/RMV during this time.
• All school bus, school pupil (7D), and bus registrations that will expire in June have been extended 30 days until July 2020.
• Professional credentials for School Bus Certificates, School Pupil Transport Licenses (7D), Inspector Licenses, Inspection Station Licenses, Driving Instructor Licenses and Driving School Licenses that have expired or will expire in March, April, and May have previously been extended until 90 days after the state of emergency is lifted. The RMV has added June expirations to the previous extension and professional credentials that expire in June have 90 days after the state of emergency is lifted to renew.

Details on all of these extensions and additional information on RMV services and the RMV’s response to COVID-19 can be found here.

The RMV Business Partner Website has been updated to include details and recordings from recently held webinars hosted by the RMV to address issues arising as a result of the pandemic.

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis to spread mal- ware, disrupt operations, sow doubt and, as always, make a quick buck, via virus-themed emails, apps, websites and social media. Here are some of the techniques you need to watch out for:

1. Phishing emails

Sending unsuspecting recipients emails related to current tragic events is a classic tactic cybercriminals use to snag victims, and this pandemic is no exception.

Themes in these emails include analyst reports specific to certain industries, details of official government health advice, requests for donations, and offers of facemasks or other assistance regarding operations and logistics. These emails often contain malicious links or attachments, or requests for sensitive information. Delete them, and never click on the links or open the attachments.

“Our threat research team has observed numerous COVID-19 malicious email campaigns, with many using fear to try and convince potential victims to click,” says Sherrod DeGrippo, senior director of threat research and detection at Proofpoint. She says around 70 percent of the emails the threat team has uncovered deliver malware, with most of the rest aiming to steal victims’ credentials through fake landing pages like Gmail or Office 365.

2. Malicious apps

Although Apple has placed limits on COVID19-related apps in its App Store and Google has removed some apps from the Play store, malicious apps can still pose a threat to users. One site, for example, urged users to download an Android app that provides tracking and statistical information about COVID-19, including heat map visuals. However, the app was actually loaded with an Android targeting ransomware now known as COVIDLock. The ransom note demanded $100 in bitcoin in 48 hours and threatened to erase contacts, pictures and videos, as well as the phone’s memory.

3. Bad domains

New websites are springing up that purport to disseminate information relating to the pandemic. In fact, many of them are traps for unsuspecting victims. Re- corded Future, a company that analyzes threat data, has found that hundreds of COVID-19-related domains are being registered every day. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has reported fake sites that are impersonating the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and creating domain names similar to the CDC’s web address to request passwords and bitcoin donations to fund a fake vaccine.

Source: Security Smart Newsletter

When the popularity of any technology increases quickly, the number of bad actors taking advantage of new and untrained users also grows. During the current pandemic, this has been happening with videoconferencing services and applications—for example, multiple reports surfaced recently of conferences being disrupted by intruders who inserted pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language into meetings.

While hijacked meetings are disruptive and disturbing for participants, a more insidious threat is intruders who lurk without revealing their presence—a nightmare for corporate security and individual privacy alike.

The good news is that many videoconferencing products include security settings that can prevent such incidents—but it’s up to the host to configure those settings, and attendees need to follow best practices as well. Here’s a list of videoconferencing security do’s and don'ts:

For Hosts

Do enable password protection.

Zoom, for example, now auto-generates a password in addition to a meeting room ID. Make sure your service uses both a meeting ID number and a string, and that it also has a separate password or PIN.

Do use waiting room features.

These put participants in a separate virtual room before the meeting and allow hosts to admit only those people they want to have attend.

Don’t record meetings unless it's absolutely necessary.

If you do record a meeting, make sure all participants know they are being recorded (the software should indicate this, but it’s good practice to tell them, too) and give the recording a unique name when you save it.

Don’t allow participants to screen share by default.

Your software should offer settings that allow hosts to manage screen sharing. Once a meeting has begun, the host can allow specific participants to share their screens when appropriate.

Do lock a meeting once all the participants have joined the call.

However, if a valid participant drops out temporarily, be sure to unlock the meeting to let them back in and then re-lock it after they return.

Do eject participants from meetings if an intruder is able to get in or becomes unruly.

This prevents them from rejoining. Do make sure that if you host work meetings, you know the specific steps you should take in the software your company uses to ensure your conferences are secure.

For Hosts and Participants

Don’t post links to conferences on social media.

Hosts should invite attendees from within the conferencing software—and invitees should not share the links.

Don’t use video unless you need to.

Turning off your webcam and listening in via audio prevents possible social engineering efforts to learn more about you through background objects. Audio only also saves network bandwidth on an internet connection, improving the overall audio and visual quality of the meeting.

Do use the latest version of the software.

Security vulnerabilities are likely to be exploited more often on older software versions. Double-check that you are using the most up-to-date version available.

Security Smart Newsletter

If you’re reading this, you almost certainly have a non-daily-driven classic car somewhere in a locked garage.

But you need to check a few things first.

Assuming the antique car has been sitting over the winter, say three to six months, the list below should be pretty good.

Tires

If, when you roll open the garage door for the first time in months, one of your car’s tires is wheel-on-the-cement flat, you kind of have to start with the tires, so let’s. Obviously, if that’s the case, you need to air that tire up before you can move the car. If you don’t have a compressor in the garage, buy a portable compressor that runs off the cigarette lighter socket, or better yet, runs off 12V DC or a 120VAC adapter. I’ll air up the tire and then see what it’s going to do. If you immediately hear it hissing from a puncture or a bad valve stem, then you need to stop everything, jack up the car, pull the wheel off, and either swap on another wheel and tire or get this one fixed. But if you don’t, you can see whether the leak deflates the tire over hours or days. Just remember that it deflated over the winter, so it’s going to do it again.

Then, check the pressure of all four tires. While you’re doing that, it’s a good idea to inspect the tire sidewalls for cracking. Odds are that if the car is stored indoors, the tires aren’t going to get much worse over a single winter, but it’s easy for 10 years to go by one winter at a time and the tires to cross from old-but-OK to sheeh-I-don’t-want-to-drive-farther-than-to-the-gas-station-on-those.

Battery

If the battery has been on a tender or trickle-charger for the winter, it’s probably fine. But if not, you can take a multimeter, set it to measure voltage, and put the two probes on the battery terminals. If it reads 12.6 volts, or near it, the battery is fully charged, and if it’s in good health and the cable connections are good, it should turn the engine over. But with every 0.2-volt drop, the battery loses about 25 percent of its cranking power, so if it’s reading closer to 12 volts than 12.6, it’s unlikely to crank the engine over without being connected to a good three-stage battery charger for several hours. So measure it, and if you need to charge it, charge it.

Fluids inside

Check the oil, coolant, and brake fluid levels. If the oil looks black, make a note to change it soon. Give a quick look inside the radiator or expansion tank to both check the level and see if there’s any oil in there indicating a weakening head gasket.

Fluids outside

Next, look under the engine compartment for evidence of leaks. Hopefully all you find is a few dots of oil from where the car’s been leaking out the front timing cover for the last 40 years and nothing more. Anything green is antifreeze, and its source should be identified before you drive the car, as a minor leak can quickly mushroom into a gusher. Blue liquid can be either antifreeze or washer fluid. Clear liquids are usually power steering or brake fluid.

Move to the back of the car where the fuel tank is, skooch under, look, and sniff. Vintage cars have metal fuel tanks, and they can leak from age, particularly with Ethanol’s propensity for attracting water. Since it’s good practice to store a car with a full tank of gas (this eliminates the chance for humid air to get into the tank and contaminate the gas with water), if you find the tank leaking, it ruins your day, since you now need to drain it. Gas can also leak from rotted or cracked rubber fuel lines. Gasoline isn’t like oil or antifreeze; there should be a zero-tolerance policy for any amount of fuel leakage. You should also sniff in the engine compartment to be certain gas isn’t leaking there.

The critter check

If your garage has an affinity for rodents and they’ve made your car home, they can deposit a lot of material in the air cleaner in a short amount of time. It’s good insurance to pop the top off the air cleaner and have a quick look. Hoses and belts

Give the hoses and belts a quick inspection. Squeeze the hoses. If any of them are pillow-y soft, order replacements. Inspect the belts for cracks and cuts and put a thumb on each of them to check the tension. If they’re obviously loose, take a moment and tighten them.

The crank-over

If the car has passed the above checks, the engine is ready to be cranked. If the battery is fully charged and registering about 12.6 volts, it should crank when you turn the key. If it doesn’t crank, clean the battery and cable terminals and try again. If the voltage is a little low, you can jump-start the car, but if the battery is deeply drained (turn the key and you get a click of the starter but that’s all), or worse, flatlined (less than 10.5 volts, or the car’s dash lights barely even turn on), it’s best to replace it before you drive the car. Alternators aren’t designed to charge deeply discharged batteries. Although old analog cars often don’t seem to mind, post-OBDII cars with a proliferation of electronic control modules can do very odd things, including bucking and dying, if a deeply discharged battery is jump-started and the car is driven.

If the car is fuel injected, it will likely start in just a few seconds when the starter is cranked. If it doesn’t, the fuel pump may not be running, either due to a popped fuse, stuck relay, or the pump itself. Carbureted cars often take much longer to start due to the lower fuel pump pressure, the need to refill the float bowls, the far less precise air/fuel metering, and the lack of direct spray into the cylinders. A short blast of starting fluid into the carburetor throat can coax the engine to life. If a carbureted car still won’t start after sitting, the problem is often that an old fuel line has become dry-rotted and is sucking air rather than fuel.

The eyeballs-on idle

Once the engine is running, let it idle for about a minute. Then shut it off and look under the engine for any fluid dripping or streaming out.

Twice around the block

It’s common for brake pads to stick to rotors from sitting. If the car has been stored indoors, the rotors probably won’t have rusted much, but still you want to scope it out. Take the car for an easy lap around the block. Brake gently to verify that the brake pedal is firm and functional, then more firmly. Pick up speed and do it again. Note any brake pedal shudder (pulsation), pulling to one side, and steering wheel shimmy. Pull back into the driveway and check again for any fluid leakage.

A real test drive

Take the car up onto the highway or other road where you can build speed. Verify that it comes up to operating temperature in about the middle of the gauge and stays there. Continue to test the brakes for shuddering or pulling. If the brake pedal is still pulsating, there are still unwiped deposits on it. A series of hard braking exercises (first verifying that no one is behind you) may wipe the rotors clean, or you may find that it doesn’t go away and you need to buy new rotors. If there’s steering wheel shimmy that wasn’t there in the fall, it’s likely the tires are flat-spotted from sitting. It may go away. It may not. Come home, recheck for fluid leakage, and check again the next morning.

If the car passes these tests,it’s in about the same condition it was in when put away in the fall and ready to enjoy in the spring. But keep in mind that it doesn’t mean that the car has been healed of any known problems. Cars are not biological systems; they don’t mend themselves with a good long sleep.

hagerty.com

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